From denial to the Nile
A new year dawns, and with it some big changes for Lola LebCan. After many happy years in Sheikh Zayed Road’s prestigious Orifice Towers building, Dubai’s PR queen is being forced to pack her bags. Either that, or have thousands of labourers gaze at her naked splendour in the shower every morning as the new Dubai Metro whizzes right past her window.
But like many long-term expats, Dubai has palled for Lola. The once-glittering heights of SZR’s skyscrapers are but dusty glass. The glamourous sandlands social whirl is a shallow chore. There is no joy, no inspiration and the city, Lola says, is “soulless”. She has even swapped karaoke at Harry Ghatto’s for this festive lament:
Deck the malls with discount banners
Fallah-lalala-lala-lala
‘tis the season to sell your hummers
Fallah-lalala-lala-lala
Donning now your old pyjamas
Fallah-lalala-lala-lala
Join the bankrupt Jumeira mamas
Fallah-lalala-lala-lalaaaa*
Two years ago, Lola fled to Egypt for sanctuary. She now plans to seek the healing waters of the Nile once more and work on her Masri twang. Plus there are around 40 million men in Egypt, compared to just 2.5 million in the UAE.
*(c) Lola LebCan 2008
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Tags: Deck The Malls, Discount Banners, Dusty Glass, Gaze, Glamourous, Happy Years, Healing Waters, Hummers, Jumeira, Lament, Lola, lola lebcan, Nile, Poetry, Pyjamas, Sheikh Zayed Road, Skyscrapers, Social Whirl, Splendour, Szr, Twang, Whizzes
